


Drink Your Sorrows

by Lovelymayor



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 10:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7931737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovelymayor/pseuds/Lovelymayor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a Thematic Thursday submission for /ztg/. Theme: Drunk</p><p>Councilwoman Canidae reconnects with an old friend over drinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drink Your Sorrows

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a combined effort between Lovelymayor and Lucius Howlgrave's creator!

Canidae’s limousine pulled up to the curb a block away from the rally. She didn’t necessarily like to be seen attending these sorts of functions. Downtown Zootopia was cold in this season, and Canidae got out wearing a thick coat with a fuzzy collar over her patterned dress. As she approached the impromptu stage and the crowd, she could tell the rally was coming to a close. Dr. Lucius Howlgrave was just finishing his speech. Patient as she was, she swished her tail in annoyance at having to wait.

“...And so, my brothers and sisters, I ask you: do we stand idly by and allow these weak-minded, weak-bodied mammals to control our society, nay- our very  _livelihoods?_ ” The heavyset, greying timber wolf on stage barked out his usual pro-predator spiel, caught up in the energy of the moment. His claws were digging into the wooden podium, lips pulled back from his long, yellowed fangs. “History dictates that _we_ are noteworthy, _we_ are strong! As it once was, so shall it be again. And so I say to you, unsheathe your claws! Bare your fangs! We are predators and we are PROUD!” 

After leading the audience in a final, theatrical howl, Howlgrave stepped down from the stage, producing a handkerchief from his pocket to dab at his brow and adjusting the crimson fez atop his head. It was emblazoned with the fanged insignia of the Bared Fang. He was panting from fatigue and excitement. _My, how these rallies did manage to stir the senses._

Canidae had been just close enough to hear the howl start. It continued; she was just close enough to feel her wolf side pulling at her, insisting she join in. But if anyone saw a woman of her standing howling like an idiot… She couldn’t resist, and she let out an oddly soft, high pitched version of a howl to go with the others.

Howlgrave’s nose twitched as he caught wind of an all too familiar perfume and his ears perked once he glimpsed her figure through the crowd. He could even hear that tell-tale howl of hers, and his lips popped into a smirk. Though Canidae’s stature was small compared to the surrounding wolves and wildcats she immediately commanded the attention and respect of her fellow predators, Howlgrave himself included.  

“Well, if it isn’t Miss- er, excuse me,  _Councilor_  Canidae! How  _are_  you, my dear?” The wolf’s face split into a wide, toothy grin as he approached her, arms outstretched in expectation of an embrace.

When Howlgrave approached, she turned to glare at him, all respect drained out of her in a moment of lurid embarrassment.

“You… utter  _stooge_ , how many times do I have to explain that I cannot be seen in public howling? I _hate_  the howling! It’s so… unbecoming of a  _lady_! I told you I would be here at seven o’clock sharp; couldn’t you have checked your watch before engaging in that self-indulgent little display?”

Canidae grabbed him by his vest, her paws pulling her toward him. Even though he was a head taller than her, she treated him as if he were the shorter one. Even with his wisdom and the years he had on her, she was utterly spoilt and had no intention of letting an older wolf act superior to her.

“M-my apologies. The crowd loves it though, really they do…” Howlgrave all but whimpered. His ears drooped as she berated him, but he did not protest.

“N-now then…” Despite her display of ire, Canidae wrapped her paws around his rotund waist for an embrace. This was one mammal she wasn’t afraid to get close to. Howlgrave was caught off guard as he felt her arms wrap around his waist.

“Heh, I missed you too.” He murmured softly, giving her hair a gentle stroke and secretly relishing the closeness.

“We’ve got to talk privately, Lucius. Come along, won’t you?” Canidae’s paws slipped down to take his and she led him to the limousine, climbing in first. Howlgrave squeezed in after, a jovial smile on his muzzle.

“Tell me, how are the rallies?” Canidae asked as the driver started the car.

“Oh, things are progressing wonderfully! Having a predator like you as a city councilor has certainly boosted support for our cause. Someone who isn’t afraid to speak the truth! You’ll make a wonderful mayor. Infinitely superior to that cowardly Lionheart. Hmh, one would think he was ashamed of his own heritage. And don’t get me started on that- that- _sow_.” Howlgrave gave a throaty chuckle to emphasize his point, clapping Canidae on the back. “But you, you’re just the representation we predators needed. You know, I always knew you had the makings of greatness, and now look at you, soon-to-be mayor of Zootopia! I’d say that’s cause for celebration.” He fished a couple cigars and a matchbook from his breast pocket, offering one to his companion. "You don’t mind, do you?”

Canidae sighed and shook her head. Why did all the men in her life have to smoke?

“I’m not sure I can be seen with you too frequently, what with the rumor mill and the fact that my campaign is predicated on harmonious inclusion, not pro-predator grandstanding. It’s simply that I argue more for the wrongs against predators to be undone than anyone else. It’s  _so_  refreshing to think that one day the ZPD might soon be swayed by promises of increased budget. They’ll change their tune, instead of grunting that vile sentiment… What was it, their motto? Ah yes. ‘Protect the herd.’” She scowled and glanced out the window as the other wolf had his way with a cigar. “Protect them from  _what?_  From us, that’s what. It’s things like that, subtleties that sneak into discourse, into the public consciousness, and before you know it…” She moved her paws in a jerking motion, “We’re cornered, driven out of our homes while the prey burrow into our dens and nest where our dreams of peace and prosperity have been scattered to dust. I will  **not** have it.”

Howlgrave nodded eagerly. “That’s precisely it! The majority of the population is against us, whether they’re consciously aware of it or not. Bellwether’s little  _stunt_  made that all too clear.” He sighed a plume of bluish smoke, “They fear us because they know what we could be- what we _are_ capable of. I say we use that fear to our advantage.” 

Canidae folded one arm under her chest, and the other paw held her brow, knitted in an expression of truly perturbed frustration.

“But policy is so much harder to pass when those… group-think simpletons are in my way. Dammit, Lucius, if their malice doesn’t kill us, their apathy and ignorance  **will!** ” With a huff, she punched the plush, upholstered seat beside her.

Howlgrave flinched when her punch landed. His ears flattened reflexively at her frustrated tone.

"There, there, don’t fret, my dear. You’ve made it this far, it’s a marvelous step forward for all us predators. And still only the beginning…” His expression softened in empathy as he met her gaze, awestruck as ever by her beauty, and oh how it pained him to see such anger in those strange yet lovely eyes. If only there was something he could do to…

The limousine slowed to a stop. They were outside a quiet bar in a lonely section of downtown Zootopia. An old jazz club that still had a few shows now and again. But the real draw was the atmosphere and the alcohol.

Howlgrave put his arm around her back. He was eager for a good, strong drink and more time spent alone with Canidae, away from the crowds and the cameras.

“Come now, my dear, salons are the birthplace of great revolutions, are they not? Public speaking always works up quite a thirst.”

Howlgrave stepped out of the limousine first with Canidae tailing behind. He paused to put his cigar out on the pavement and offered his arm to her. She took it demurely.

The Toothy Crocuta was an elegantly subdued bar, with low lighting and a thin haze of sweet-smelling hookah smoke covering the upholstered booths. Light, barely audible jazz buzzed in the background, creating an atmosphere 50 years removed from modernity. The vast wall of liquors behind the bar sparkled like gems of myriad colors, drawing the eye to it and to the bartender, a graying hyena in a red vest and white button up shirt. He nodded as the two fellow predators entered.

Canidae raised two fingers, then turned her wrist to swoop and point where they would be sitting. When they seated themselves, the bartender arrived with a bottle of Grand Tarsier Lapostolle and crystal snifters. She smiled politely up at him as he set them down and walked away. Then her attention turned to Howlgrave.

"Anyway, Lucius,” she began, one paw resting on the table as she slouched comfortably in the booth, “I’ve been floating my anti-discrimination bill. You’ve read it haven’t you?” She hadn’t touched the alcohol; her mind was too preoccupied with the stress of the campaign and maintaining her current office.

Howlgrave grunted as he leaned over the table, gathering up the bottle in his paws and pouring some of the amber liquid for each of them. He raised his glass and took a few quick swallows of the smooth liqueur.

“I assure you, my dear, there’s no better goal than a world where predators and prey can be peaceable with one another. Your bill is well-conceived. That being said we wolves already have command of vast fortunes through the activities of our members. Perhaps it’s time to consider backing measures against dangerous prey. You know, your father was dedicated to a society made safe through his arms engineering work.”

Canidae looked up at her friend with a frown of confusion. As her thoughts turned to her father, her paw moved shakily toward her glass. She imbibed a long gulp of the fine alcohol and sat there in silence before Howlgrave spoke up again.

“Ah but there’s plenty of time to talk business later, this is also a time for celebration! Please, relax and have a drink.” He gestured toward her untouched snifter. “I’ll feel rather foolish if I’m the only one enjoying myself.” He raised his eyebrows at her and looked into her eyes while taking a sip. “Speaking of enjoyment, how’s the- ah- municipal government life treating you? Not too draining, I’d hope. It’s been so long since we had an opportunity to catch up; what does a councilwoman of our  _fine_  city do on her nights off?” 

Canidae briefly glanced down into her drink, then forced a smile.

“My nights off? As a public servant, I am Zootopia’s twenty-four hours a day… But if you must know, much of my time away from the office is spent bending the ears of my contacts in the private sector and in public office. I do not like to be alone with my thoughts, so I throw myself into this work.”

Even Canidae could feel the tense awkwardness in the air after she finished speaking. She took another quick sip, then changed the subject.

“What of you? What occupies the great Dr. Howlgrave? Are you set on pursuing a professorial position again? The Order can’t possibly keep you that occupied.”

To her surprise, Canidae finished her drink first. Howlgrave paused to finish his before immediately refilling it and topping off her glass. He couldn’t help but feel he’d said something to dampen the mood, but thought that perhaps it could be remedied with another drink.

“Me? Oh, my dear, haven’t you ever heard of the phrase, ‘all work and no play’?” As Howlgrave spoke, he hesitated at the sight of Canidae’s doleful expression. “It makes for a damned fine mayor. Come now, let’s see a smile...” His eyes flickered to meet hers as he casually nudged the replenished snifter closer towards her. It was brimming with cognac the color of warm light.

“Yes, yes. Here.” Canidae fussily acquiesced to his suggestion, wriggling her broad hips in the booth to sit up straighter and deliberately offering a smile that seemed genuine, not one she had rehearsed for an interview or a meeting. The sweet, orange-flavored liqueur had begun to get to her; a fuzzy smoldering was coming over her.

“Aurie, I haven’t found cause to return to the academic world. After Central Zootopia University gave me the boot for my ‘wild theories’ about evolutionary biology – and superiority – I’ve yet to… renegotiate my tenure. However, I have a feeling that the future holds great things for the both of us. We just have to be patient, that’s all.”

Howlgrave was beginning to feel a familiar warmth in his mind and his stomach as the alcohol began to take effect.

“As far as my relations go, it’s been rather, well… uneventful. A brief fling every now and again with a lady of bearing, but nothing substantial. What about you? Is there a  _Mister_ Canidae in the works?” He remained casual in his words, but in his mind he denied that any wolfess was of more worthy bearing than the one sitting in front of him.

Canidae’s lips felt dry. She returned her drink to them, her dark mauve lipstick leaving its mark on the glass. The burning sensation in her mouth and throat was one she was used to by now; she inherited her dependence on the substance from her father, though she would never admit that. It helped dull the pain of a world that thought you might attack them at any moment. The pain of a world from which you had to hide so much of yourself. She emptied her second glass quicker than she expected and pushed the snifter away.

Howlgrave’s lingering inquiry was making her blush fervently.

“N-no! I mean… No, I simply don’t have the time. You know me, I was never one for… such endeavors. The men I meet can be so boorish, too, that I’ve yet to meet one who made me consider it. A-and… I know I’m thirty-six, but…”

Another sigh, and Canidae rested her elbow on the table with her chin in her paw. Men? She wasn’t interested in the kinds of men the Bared Fang threw at her in arranged courtships; the kind she was ‘expected’ to marry. She was thinking about someone, yes, but such a pairing would be impossible. Two women, a predator and a prey. It was ridiculous enough to seem poetic.

“If only the men I meet could be as kind or as interesting as you, I might become intrigued… I’m glad I can tell you that, though. You’re the only one with whom I can share my woes…” She tilted her head up to smile at Howlgrave, just a few feet to her left in the curved booth.

He loosened his necktie as he took another long swallow of liqueur, all too aware of the way her shapely hips shifted beneath the light fabric of her dress as she moved closer to him. The quiet intimacy of their shared booth, the warmth of the alcohol which coursed through both of them – it was almost too much to bear, but Howlgrave managed to focus his attention on her rose colored eyes.

“Ahh, there’s my girl…” Howlgrave smiled back, his face burning beneath his fur, a combination of the alcohol setting in and his undeniable love for the woman beside him. His mind swirled with the affections he’d harbored for years now. He had never acted upon them and probably never would.

“In due time, Aurelia. You’re making a difference right now. Zootopia loves you, and I lo-” Howlgrave paused, stifling a hiccup with the back of his paw. “I have only the deepest respect for you.” He had to willingly force his paws not to tremble as he poured them each another drink. “And someday you’ll find someone deserving of your affections, I’m sure. But in the meantime, you know you can always turn to me as a friend and a confidant. I’m here for you.” He cautiously inched toward Canidae, placing his paw at the small of her back and pulling her closer to him.

Canidae pouted as he consoled her. He always made her feel so… strange.

“I’ve known you since I was eight years old, remember?” She was starting to reminisce; never a good sign.

Howlgrave chuckled and shook her gently with his arm. “Do I? I had just landed that internship with your father, God rest his soul… There you were, watching us from afar in that little polka-dot dress.” He chortled, his age showing.

Canidae closed her eyes. “Yellow with white, yes, I remember that dress.”

“And you used to read all the time. Read read read. I always wondered why _you_ didn’t end up the professor. Ah, but I never saw you in your college years. To think, you happened upon me at that speaking event a few years ago. When I saw you in the lecture hall my heart nearly skipped a beat. It had to have been… ten years at that point, or more.”

Howlgrave’s arm felt comforting. A parental sort of comfort like she had never known from her own father. Her thoughts drunkenly stumbled throughout her life from the time that she was a child. How _had_ she gotten to where she was, anyway?

“Twelve, I think… N-now, I think you’ve had quite enough, Lucius.” Canidae mumbled, trying to conceal her own inebriation. “And while this is the right place for it, we’ve both reputations to uphold. Knowing the vox populi, if word got out mammals would start saying that  _all_  wolves were alcoholics.”

Canidae began to shuffle out of the booth nervously. “I really should be going… The life of a councilwoman, you know.” A short, half-hearted laugh punctuated the statement. When she stood up, she needed to brace herself against the table. “Would you like to come? My driver can take you home after he delivers me to my building. I don’t think either of us are in any state to make it home without assistance.”

“Reputations? Er, yes of course. And I s'pose it is rather late…”, Howlgrave’s speech had begun to slur as he reluctantly followed her out of the booth, grasping her shoulders in an attempt to support her, though his own balance was noticeably off-kilter. “Goodness, didn’t realize just how in- ** _hic_** -‘nebriated I was until now. I think I’ll hafta take you up on that offer.”

Howlgrave wove his way past the booths and tables towards the exit, staggering against his companion. Head spinning, stomach turning flips, he began to wish he’d ordered some food to take the edge off the alcohol. Perhaps having something to nibble on would have prolonged their evening together. There was so much more left to be said…

As they stumbled out onto the sidewalk, it was obvious how late it had gotten. They were grateful to see the limousine waiting outside the club and both sank into the plush seating inside with heavy sighs.

Howlgrave’s thoughts wandered back to their prior conversation as Canidae settled in beside him.

“You’re a beautiful wolfess, you know. Strong, clever, infinitely charming. Any man should count his lucky stars to have you in his life.”  _I know I do_ , he thought as his body jolted with another drunken hiccup.

It wasn’t far to Canidae’s downtown apartment building. She cherished these last few moments, listening to Howlgrave’s wise words as the liqueur in her belly affected her wakefulness. The bump of an awkward street sent her pushing against him, and she mumbled an “Oh, stop…” as he began to compliment her.

When Howlgrave felt her shift against him, he barely held back a longing whimper as his nose was buried in the silken tresses of her hair. Traffic was backed up, and all the two wolves could do was keep each other company in the heated car.

“Y-Yes, I have no doubt that the right man is out there; you just haven’t found him yet. But you’ll know that moment your heart skips a beat. You’ll feel butterflies in your stomach every time you look at him. His voice will make the fur on the back of your neck stand on end. And you’ll feel that you’d do anything to protect him. Trust me, my dear, you’ll know…”

When Howlgrave finished his reassurances, he found that Canidae had dozed off against him. The warm interior had quickly served to lull her to sleep. Here she was, a Zootopia city councilwoman and potential mayor, and she had fallen asleep as easily and as gently as a cub. He gingerly stroked her hair with his paw as the car came to a stop.

“Time to get you upstairs. Where’s that bodyguard of yours…” He whispered, fiddling with his phone to try and send her a message. A few minutes later, the limousine’s door opened. A large, imposing hyena was standing on the sidewalk.

“Miss Sarchus. Shh, our little lady fell asleep, that’s all.”

“Do I even want to know?” Andrea grunted, pushing her way in and pulling Canidae into her arms. _Ugh,_ she was heavier than she remembered.

“I’ll get her upstairs. You go home, Howlgrave.”

Howlgrave nodded obediently. His vision was spinning slightly as he watched Andrea turn and walk into the building with the love of his life in her arms.

“If only she knew how I felt. Ah well… Driver, what have you got to drink in this yacht?”


End file.
